Long personal ties and campaign contributions earn deep trust — and growing sway over policy coordination and reporting chains
Experts warn restraint is needed to avoid undermining formal command structures, and that authority and accountability must be clearly defined
When Seoul's elected district mayors take office, many bring in outside figures who helped them win their elections, appointing them as policy advisers or policy chiefs on fixed-term contracts.
On paper, these positions carry the rank of Grade 4 or 5 civil servants. In practice, however, they often wield influence well beyond what their titles suggest, drawing on the deep trust they have built with the district mayor to coordinate major policies and manage key issues.
The power of a policy adviser or policy chief flows from their proximity to the district mayor — the person who holds appointment authority. Because they can read the mayor's intentions faster than anyone else, and because they often review issues before they reach the mayor or mediate disagreements between departments, their organizational influence grows naturally.
Those who came from a candidate's campaign are particularly regarded as the people who best understand the mayor's campaign pledges and political instincts. District mayors, in turn, are likely to rely heavily on aides they have worked alongside and trusted for years.
In Seongdong-gu, following the inauguration of District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa, Kim Seon-su — a former deputy district mayor of Yongsan-gu — was appointed policy planning officer at the Grade 5 level.
Kim brings administrative experience from both the Seoul Metropolitan Government and district offices. He is said to have developed a relationship with Yoo during their overlapping tenures at the city government and to have contributed to her election campaign.
Given that Kim previously served as a Grade 3 deputy district mayor, observers say he is handling key responsibilities based on the mayor's trust and his extensive administrative background rather than on his current nominal rank.
Mapo-gu has similarly brought in Jo Man-ho, who served as general affairs section chief during the seventh elected term and was later promoted to director during the eighth, appointing him policy chief at the Grade 4 level.
Jo went through a period of uncertainty that included a stint at Dongjak-gu, but he joined the campaign for the ninth-term Mapo-gu district mayor candidate. He was appointed policy chief when the new mayor took office and is said to be coordinating the district's major policy agenda.
The concern is that if the influence of these policy aides grows too large, it could destabilize the formal chain of command that runs from the district mayor down through the deputy mayor, directors and section chiefs.
If their involvement extends beyond policy coordination and political advisory work into personnel decisions, budgets and individual projects, rank-and-file civil servants may begin treating the policy chief's or adviser's words as, in effect, direct orders from the district mayor.
There is a positive side as well. These aides can quickly transmit the mayor's vision and campaign pledges throughout the bureaucracy and help break down silos between departments. When the appointee has solid administrative experience, they can serve as a bridge connecting political judgment with professional expertise.
Ultimately, the question is less about the policy adviser and policy chief system itself than about how much authority these figures are granted — and whether they are held accountable in proportion to that authority.
A senior official at one Seoul district office, who asked not to be named, said the organization must operate around the formal structure linking the district mayor, deputy mayor, directors and section chiefs. "When someone who finished their public-service career on the strength of a personal connection with the mayor takes a key post, they must conduct themselves with great care so as not to invite unnecessary misunderstanding or criticism within the organization," the official said.
The official added that if a policy aide flaunts their influence or makes unreasonable demands of civil servants, the political cost will ultimately fall on the district mayor who appointed them.
The closer an aide sits to the district mayor — and the more their power derives from that closeness — the more restrained their exercise of authority needs to be. Observers say policy advisers and policy chiefs should serve as coordinators linking the mayor to the organization, not as a parallel power center that supplants the civil service chain of command.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
